Robots have transcended the realm of sci-fi fantasy and are now making revolutionary waves in several industries. Industries that deal with complex, life-threatening tasks have been enjoying tremendous benefits from robots. From being controlled by a human operator to now being fully autonomous, robotics has vastly grown. Equipped with cutting-edge technologies, some robots today are designed such that they closely emulate human Intelligence, in one form or another. Due to this, we see the use cases of robots in areas that need human intelligence and decision-making capabilities. One way robots are able to see, analyze, and act suitably is because they are vision-powered. Armed with cameras and trained with machine vision algorithms, robots are now able to capture images and videos, analyze them, and then respond accordingly. The potential of robots to respond as humans do has opened up new opportunities in several industries, including the retail industry.
The concept of retail robots shouldn’t be a surprise to us. Industry behemoths like Amazon and Walmart have already leveraged robots in their warehouses for streamlining and optimizing inventory related activities. However, the potential for robots enabled by machine vision in retail is even more promising. These evolved robots will be smart enough to perform basic as well as complex activities with higher levels of intelligence. Here’s how:
Applications of robots using machine vision in retail
Retail robots that use machine vision can offer benefits ranging from time and cost savings to operational efficiency and prompt customer service.
Retail stores should be managed and handled in a way that customers leave the store with a positive experience. The experience should be such that he/she decides to shop at the same store the next time too. However, to deliver a satisfying experience to customers, retailers have to consider a lot of factors, such as:
All of these have to be supervised, controlled, and managed consistently. And to take care of all these, retail leaders hire store managers. However, managing everything right is not an easy undertaking. Besides, all of these are not only time-consuming but also monotonous and dull tasks. In addition, there are high chances of mistakes when humans perform any job. To eliminate hassles, retail stores can use camera-equipped robots that are trained with machine-vision algorithms. These robots can perform basic tasks like:
This way, store managers can assign basic yet decision-making-based tasks to robots that use machine vision. As a result, these managers can take up strategic roles and perform tasks that require more complex thinking.
The checkout process is often an ordeal for customers. No one would ever wish to wait in long lines to pay for products.
